Fight with police, chase leave 2 dead

A driver fleeing police hit and killed a pedestrian Thursday afternoon near West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street in Santa Ana, police said. Here, south of the intersection, police officers surround the damaged car that was being chased. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Chase fatalities rare

Dozens of people die in the thousands of police chases in California each year. In 2012, 6,444 pursuits were reported to California Highway Patrol, resulting in the deaths of 33 people. In more than half of the fatal pursuits, those killed were the suspected driver or a passenger. Twelve, however, were uninvolved bystanders.

Orange County saw 298 pursuits in 2012, with only one ending in the death of the driver. Sixteen bystanders were injured as a result of chases.

SANTA ANA – A driver fleeing police struck and killed a man in a crosswalk Thursday afternoon, while another man who authorities allege got into an altercation with officers died after being shot by police.

The shooting and subsequent pursuit began after officers approached a group of people believed to have been involved in criminal activity near two vehicles around 11:45 a.m. in the 1000 block of Rosewood Court, said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department.

Police did not specify the suspected criminal activity, but Bertagna said an altercation began between officers and one man, who police shot and wounded.

The man, who authorities have not identified, was pronounced dead at a hospital several hours later.

After the shooting, three other men, who police believed to be armed, got into a white Dodge Charger and fled as officers followed.

At West Warner Avenue and South Parton Street, the Dodge hit a car, Bertagna said. The driver of the Charger continued south on South Flower Street. At MacArthur Boulevard, the Dodge hit a truck and a man who was in the crosswalk, Bertagna said.

The pedestrian, identified only as being in his late 40s or early 50s, was thrown 30 feet and died at the scene, Bertagna said.

The Dodge was not drivable after the collision, and the men attempted to flee on foot, Bertagna said.

With the help of a Sheriff's Department helicopter, officers followed as the men scattered. One was found, hiding, by a police dog, Bertagna said. After the man refused to comply with police orders, the dog bit him, Bertagna said. He was taken to a hospital for treatment before being booked into Orange County Jail.

One of the other men got into a fight in a different area with officers, who subdued him with a Taser before arresting him. The third man surrendered to police.

The suspected driver of the Dodge, who police identified as Victor Sanchez, 21, was taken to a hospital for injuries sustained in the collision. Sanchez, who police described as a documented gang member, is expected to be booked on suspicion of murder, Bertagna said.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office, Santa Ana detectives and the Police Department's Internal Affairs Division are investigating the officer-involved shooting, Bertagna said, and the California Highway Patrol is investigating the collision that killed the pedestrian.

A driver fleeing police hit and killed a pedestrian Thursday afternoon near West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street in Santa Ana, police said. Here, south of the intersection, police officers surround the damaged car that was being chased. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The front end of a Dodge coupe was torn up when its driver, fleeing Santa Ana police officers, struck and killed a pedestrian crossing Flower Street at MacArthur Boulevard, according to police. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A driver fleeing police hit and killed a pedestrian Thursday afternoon near West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street, police said. Here, Santa Ana police officers meet across Flower Street from where the body of the pedestrian was covered up. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A driver fleeing police hit and killed a pedestrian Thursday afternoon near West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street, police said. Flower Street was closed between MacArthur Boulevard and Sunflower Avenue while Santa Ana police and California Highway Patrol officers investigated the crash that ended the pursuit. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A tire ripped off the car that struck and killed a pedestrian at the intersection of West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street. The driver was being pursued by Santa Ana police after an officer-involved shooting a few miles north of the intersection. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
California Highway Patrol officers, investigating a crash that killed a pedestrian during a police pursuit, stand in the sidewalk at West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street, Santa Ana, where the pedestrian was struck. A car fleeing Santa Ana police hit and killed a pedestrian Thursday afternoon, according to police. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A driver fleeing police hit and killed a pedestrian Thursday afternoon near West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street, police said. The pedestrian died at the scene, and his shoes were thrown onto the sidewalk south of the intersection. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Neighbors look over their fences Thursday to see the police investigation of a police pursuit that ended at West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Santa Ana police officers stand in the sidewalk where a pedestrian was struck and killed Thursday while crossing Flower Street at MacArthur Boulevard. The pedestrian was struck by a driver who was fleeing police after a police-involved shooting in south Santa Ana, police said. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A driver fleeing police hit and killed a pedestrian Thursday afternoon near West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street, police said. A piece of the car's front end lay in the street near the body of the pedestrian. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A car fleeing police hit and killed a pedestrian Thursday afternoon near West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street, police said. Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, of the Santa Ana Police Department, briefs the media at the scene of the crash. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A driver fleeing police hit and killed a pedestrian Thursday afternoon near West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street, police said. A piece of the car's front end lay in the street near the body of the pedestrian. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY RE
A tire ripped off the car that struck and killed a pedestrian at the intersection of West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street. The car was being pursued by Santa Ana police after an officer-involved shooting a few miles north of the intersection. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A driver fleeing police hit and killed a pedestrian Thursday afternoon near West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street, police said. After the collision with the pedestrian, debris was strewn across the street on Flower Street, south of MacArthur. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Neighbors look over their fences Thursday to see the investigation of a police pursuit that ended at West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A driver fleeing police hit and killed a pedestrian Thursday afternoon near West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street, police said. Here, a California Highway Patrol officer photographs the scene near the body of the pedestrian who was struck and killed while crossing Flower Street in a crosswalk. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Detectives arrive in Santa Ana near where a chase began around 11:45 a.m. Thursday in the 1000 block of West Central Avenue. One of the men in the car got in an altercation with police; he was shot by police and later died in a hospital, according to officials. KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Residents raise yellow tape to let a crime scene investigation team van into the scene near where a chase began Thursday around 11:45 a.m in Santa Ana. KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Investigators work a shooting scene in Santa Ana near where a chase began around 11:45 a.m Thursday in the 1000 block of West Central Avenue. KEN STEINHARDT, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Neighbors congregate to watch a police investigation of an officer-involved shooting in the 1000 block of West Central Avenue on Thursday. The shooting was followed by a police chase that ended at West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street, where a pedestrian was struck and killed by the fleeing driver, police said. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Police investigate an officer-involved shooting in the 1000 block of West Central Avenue on Thursday. The shooting was followed by a police chase that ended at West MacArthur Boulevard and South Flower Street, where a pedestrian was struck and killed by the fleeing driver, police said. BRUCE CHAMBERS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.